Pistorius Representatives Name Substance Found

By Associated Press&nbsp|&nbsp

Updated: Wed 12:13 PM, Feb 27, 2013

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- Oscar Pistorius' representatives have named the substance found in his bedroom after the shooting death of his girlfriend as Testis compositum, and say it is an herbal remedy used "in aid of muscle recovery."

A product called Testis compositum is also marketed as a sexual enhancer, good for lack of stamina. Some online retailers advertise oral and injectable forms as testosterone boosters.

South African police say they found needles in Pistorius' bedroom along with the substance, which they initially named as testosterone. Prosecutors later withdrew that statement identifying the substance and said it had been sent for laboratory tests.

Pistorius family spokesperson Lunice Johnston said in an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday that the athlete's lawyers confirmed that the substance is Testis compositum.

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Double-amputee track star Oscar Pistorius will be allowed to go free as he awaits trial in the Valentine's Day shooting death of his girlfriend. A magistrate in South Africa granted bail today after four days of arguments from prosecutors and defense lawyers.

He said the affidavit from Pistorius, in which he gave his version of the events that took place in his home, had helped his application for bail.

Pistorius shot and killed model Reeva Steenkamp in the predawn hours of February 14th. The athlete says he shot her accidentally, thinking she was an intruder in his house. Prosecutors say the shooting followed a loud argument between the two. They say he intended to kill her, and they've charged him with premeditated murder.

Pistorius last year became the first double-amputee runner to compete in the Olympics. He is known as the Blade Runner because of the high-tech artificial legs he uses.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Police say they found two boxes of testosterone and needles in the bedroom of Oscar Pistorius' bedroom, but his defense lawyer says it was an "herbal remedy" and not a banned substance.

Detective Hilton Botha made the revelation in a bail hearing Wednesday after Pistorius was charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of Reeva Steenkamp. Botha said police made the discovery but offered no further details.

Pistorius' lawyer Barry Roux said it was "not a steroid and it is not a banned substance." Roux says police "take every piece of evidence and try to extract the most possibly negative connotation and present it to the court."

An International Paralympic Committee spokesman says Pistorius was drug tested on Aug. 25 and Sept. 8 last year and both were negative.

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Oscar Pistorius says he shot his girlfriend to death by mistake, thinking she was a robber.

The double amputee said in an affidavit read by his lawyer at his bail hearing Tuesday that he felt vulnerable because he did not have on his prosthetic legs when he pumped bullets into the locked bathroom door.

Then he realized that model Reeva Steenkamp was not in his bed. He says "It filled me with horror and fear ..."

He put on his legs, tried to kick down the door, then bashed it in with a cricket bat to find Steenkamp, 29, shot inside.

He said he ran downstairs with her, but "She died in my arms."

Previous Story: A South Africa prosecutor has charged Olympian Oscar Pistorius with the murder of his girlfriend.

Olympian Oscar Pistorius has entered a magistrate's court in South Africa's capital for a bail hearing in the killing of his model girlfriend.

Prosecutors said they would press a charge of premeditated murder against the 26-year-old Paralympian and Olympic athlete. Pistorius' family says police evidence will show there should be no murder charge.

Pistorius, in a gray suit, blue shirt and tie appeared solemn on Tuesday. He nodded after the chief magistrate asked if he was well.

The shooting death in the early hours of Valentine's Day of Reeva Steenkamp, 29, in Pistorius' home in a gated neighborhood has shocked South Africans and many around the world who idolized Pistorius for overcoming adversity to become a superstar, the first disabled person allowed to compete in the London Olympics last year.

Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend. Reeva Stennkamp, a model who spoke out on Twitter against rape and abuse of women, was shot four times in the predawn hours in his home in South Africa.

Pistorius, who was nicknamed the Blade Runner because of his high-tech artificial legs, looked down as photographers snapped pictures as he left a police station accompanied by police.

A spokesman for the prosecution says Pistorius's court hearing has been postponed until Friday to give forensic investigators time to carry out their work.

South African media outlets have been reporting that Steenkamp may have been trying to surprise Pistorius for Valentine's Day and he thought she was an intruder breaking into his home.

Pistorius made history at the London Olympics last year when he became the first double-amputee runner to compete on the track at the Olympics.

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